Save Illinois Farmland Project
Utility Scale Solar is Depleting Farmlands
I am a big proponent of the renewable energy industry.
However, these large utility scale projects are taking away rich fertile Illinois farmland and covering them with solar panels for the next 35 years.
Driven by subsidies, mandates and federal and state
policies compelling the use of more renewable energy, solar energy facilities are now displacing farmland at an ever-increasing rate. While
land leases generally offer protection for landowners so that farms can be reclaimed from the solar installations. In practice, damage is already being done with remediation as long as 50 years in the future.
The target for solar operations is increasingly in the Midwest, where government handouts to solar allow them to pay more to rent land than the farmers providing food for the nation. Solar energy is depleting farmlands of their rich soils in the U.S. Midwest. The solar industry is moving into the U.S. Midwest, drawn by cheaper land rents, access to electric transmission, massive federal and state incentives, and the region’s wide-open fields.
The largest solar farm ever proposed in central Illinois was approved in Sangamon County. The $535 million solar farm will be built on farmland on the border of Sangamon and Morgan counties. The Double Black Diamond solar project in central Illinois is currently the largest PV project in the state. covering 3,250 acres, the developer estimates that the project will create 967 local jobs during construction. Over the 35-year lifespan of the farm, it's estimated that Sangamon County will receive more than $2 million in tax revenue every year, totaling $71 million overall.
The Buckheart Solar Farm will operate on 8,000 acres of land
south of Canton, producing 820 megawatts of energy, enough to
power 118,000 homes. A 35-megawatt solar energy project is
also proposed in central Illinois, which would be located on a
223-acre site just north of Washburn, northeast of Peoria.
The state is going to everything in their power to reach or exceed
their renewable energy goals by 2030-2050, consequences be dammed!
The growing number of acres being converted to solar power use, the
real issue is the quality of the land coming out of production, and what
that means for local economies, state economies and the country’s
future ability to provide food for Americans.
Agrivoltaics is the use of solar panels in agriculture to produce both
food and electricity. Around the world, the practice has several names: agrisolar, agrophotovoltaics, solar sharing, and PV agriculture.
Many experts believe agrivoltaics can minimize barriers to
food security and the transition to clean energy. While the practice
is still in its infancy, it is expected to grow as solar continues
to boom throughout the next few decades.
In the United States, 90% of projected solar growth by 2050 will happen in rural areas, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Using rural land wisely through practices like agrivoltaics is key to solar development. It can reduce its impact on farming communities and rural wildlife while increasing solar energy's acceptance with the wider public.
The panels provide off-grid electricity to the farm and/or grid-tied electricity to the local community. The food produced under the
panels can raise crops for the market or provide fodder and shade
for grazing animals. Through net metering programs or through
leasing their land to solar developers, farmers gain an economic
benefit both from the crops and the energy they produce.
There are 9,937,160 adults, (2,070,910 of whom are seniors) in Illinois.
If everyone who could afford it could donate at least $30 monthly, we could develop our own renewable energy farms across Illinois.
Together we can build a greener future, help people save money
on their electricity bills by going community solar,
while protecting Illinois rich farmland!
Community Investment in Renewable Farms
Incorporate Agrivoltaics into Our Projects
Community Crowdfunding - This innovative approach allows community members to collectively own and benefit from the solar farms,
rather than large corporations or power companies.
Ensuring that the economic and environmental benefits of
solar energy is directly shared with the community,
fostering local engagement and sustainable development.
Our Vision
Through Community Crowdfunding we slowly become the wealthy investors developing solar farms for our Illinois communities.
We will be in control of how they are built,
keeping our rich farmland and food supply in mind.
Solar development requires 10 acres to create one megawatt (MW)
of electricity, according to a conservative estimate. We will incorporate more techniques other than solar, allowing us to harvest more
energy using less acres of land for our developments.
What Does Community Investment Cost?
Community Solar Investment can be extremely affordable.
Illinois public schools enrolled 1,853,391 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade in the 2023-2024 school year, according to
the Illinois State Board of Education’s fall enrollment count.
If just 20% of those parents (370,678) invested just $30 per month, we would have $11,120,340 in investment development capital every month!
Not counting all any of the smaller Churches, just the
Mega Churches, there are over 234,000 congregation members
in Illinois. If each one of them invested just $30 per month,
we would have over $7 million in development capital every month.
Reaching our goal of at least 25,000 new Illinois investors can be achieved.
You can be an investor in our upcoming renewable energy projects.
Sign up for annual investment today.
Monthly pay billing invoicing available upon request.
Crowdfunding Campaign - Become an Investor Today!
Innovative Solutions Through Crowd Investing
Why should companies like Black Rock, Vanguard, and State Street, and other wealthy Wallstreet investors make all the money?
Now us little folk on Main Street can capitalize too through crowdfunding our own solar and renewable energy projects.
We are crowdfunding to develop renewable energy projects here in Illinois. This innovative approach allows community
members to collectively own and benefit from the solar farms, rather than large corporations or power companies.
You don’t have to wait years to install a solar farm on your land. There’s a brand-new solar energy category that we are pioneering that
will allow landowners to install a commercial Agri-Solar Farm on their land, while “jumping” ahead of the interconnection queue.
Illinois is a leading producer of soybeans, corn, and swine. The state's climate and varied soil types enable
farmers to grow and raise many other agricultural commodities. Corn is a great source of nutrition for farm animals,
and ethanol from Illinois corn is used as domestic fuel. Food production in Illinois is export-driven due to its
transportation infrastructure, soil quality, and cooperative weather
Have you ever driven by a solar farm? Some of them can be massive. Just two projects are covering nearly
12,000 acres of farmland with solar panels for the next 35-years in Sangamon County alone.
It might be great for the environment, and we are using less fossil fuels, but at what cost?
Most of these projects don’t usually do much to protect Illinois Farmland or our crops.
The developers are slamming in projects in at lightning speed to get them online and generate revenue for the investors
without worrying about of the consequences to the land or food supply, or our community economic vitality.
Since it's our money, we can have control on how our renewable energy farms are being built.
Making sure that we are applying Agrivoltaics when designing our projects.
Let's put a be a thorn in their side and encourage community crowdfunding for our new renewable energy projects.
Solar farming can be profitable, with average returns of 10-15% annually. Initial setup costs range from $800 to $1,200
per kW of capacity while operating costs are typically low. Revenue depends on local energy prices and solar irradiance levels.
While the initial setup cost can be high, government incentives and falling equipment prices are making it easier to jump in.
For a solar farm with $500,000 in annual revenue and $425,000 in annual costs, the profit margin would be 15%, in
line with the typical industry range for solar farms which ranges from 10-20%. The initial costs to build a 1 MW solar farm range
from $900,000 to $1.3 million, with solar panels and installation making up the bulk of these costs. Ongoing annual costs for a solar farm
include 1-3% of total project costs for maintenance, $50,000-$150,000 for insurance, and $0.01 to $0.05 per watt in taxes.
The profitability of a solar farm depends on various factors, including the average cost of installation,
the size of the investment, and ongoing revenue streams. There are also many other innovative techniques that can be applied
beyond solar technology that are more cost effective. These other forms of energy generation compliment solar production.
Incorporating some of those techniques will help us produce more energy using less acres of land.
We've shared our ideas with our EPC and O&M partners, they can help us with crowdfunding our future projects.
However, the crowdfunding will come from all over the US and could include some foreign investors too.
We are trying to keep this opportunity local, open to Illinois residents and business community members.
Join with me today, invest in your future. Our Illinois citizens will profit by protecting the vital rich farmland.
Our goal is 50,000 Community Investors at a rate of $30 per month. This will be a 10-year investment term.
Monthly investment rates are available by billing invoice upon request at the rate of $30 per month, with a 10-year investment term.
Projects can begin development once we've reached at least 50,000 or more annual or monthly community investors.
Investment amount and term lengths could be subject to change in the future, lock in your rate and investment term now!